Fortinet Championship 2021 R2
September 16-19
Silverado Resort and Spa North, Napa, California
$7,000,000
Round 1, Round 3, Round 4

Estimated reading time: 9 minutes

Maverick McNealy, still looking for a first victory after sixty six starts on the PGA Tour, started the day three shots behind the lead and finished his round in style to take a two-shot lead in the Fortinet Championship.

Fortinet Championship 2021 R2

He started on the back nine with five birdies to make the turn in 31. He bogeyed the first three holes on the front nine and recovered with birdies on the next four holes before closing with an eagle at the par-5 9th for an 8-under 64.

"It was a rollercoaster day. The front nine I played just about flawless golf, hit it where I wanted to. Then I got to the first hole and funny lie in the right rough and dumped it in the bunker shot and shanked the bunker shot, got up and down for bogey and then bogeyed the next two. I was kind of going, oh, man, this is going the wrong way quick.

Fortinet Championship 2021 R2

"The fourth hole was kind of a pivotal hole for me. My caddie, he walks the entire golf course every week before I even play it and he gets all of his numbers. He got me a really good number to cover on that bunker on that wedge shot, hit a great wedge in there to eight feet and made birdie and that kind of turned things around and finished strong.

"I hit a great drive," he said of his final eagle. "That's a tough fairway to hit with that angle and that wind. Hit a really good approach shot just trying to keep it short of the hole knowing that it's easier shots from short of the green. Then I hit it and I was actually a little nervous because it looked like it landed in a pitch mark and then shot forward and right. Turns out it was a great kick."

Fortinet Championship 2021 R2

Fellow American Beau Hossler signed for a bogey-free 64 for a share of second place at 10-under alongside Chilean Mito Pereira who produced five birdies, two bogeys and an eagle at the par-5 5th.

"You can hit driver pretty much on every hole here if you want to,"said Hossler. "With that being said, the way the course is playing, it's very firm, even in the morning it was firm, and you get pins that are kind of tucked or three, four paces on the green. If you're not hitting into the greens from the fairway, you have no chance of stopping the ball. Even from the fairway it's challenging as well. I think you kind of have to pick your spots. I don't think you're going at the flags that often out here. Like I said, if you can get some mid-range putts, the greens are rolling nicely and you can make them. Then try and take advantage of the par-5s just like any or golf course."

Fortinet Championship 2021 R2

Overnight leader Chez Reavie made the cut, but only just, after a round that featured four birdies, five bogeys and a double bogey at the par-3 11th for a 75.

World number 1 Jon Rahm, who has been suffering from an upset stomach, failed to make the cut after carding a second round 71.

“It's very simple: not my best ball-striking-wise. Still wasn't bad. Could have been better on the greens, you know. Feel like I might have made a couple of mistakes mentally on some approach shots, maybe I could have focused a little more, visualized better, but I think I left a lot of shots on the greens.”

Rahm, who heads to the Ryder Cup next week, hadn't missed a cut sice the Wells Fargo Championship in May.

"Well, I've got two more days off. I think it's primarily rest. I just, you know, I feel
like with having those stomach issues early, I wasn't nearly as rested as I could have been, my body got a little bit tight, but I'm feeling good today.

"It was a tough course out there. If anything, I get to rest a couple extra days and be able to figure out what's going on with my swing, which technically is not really anything bad. It's just I think a lot of those swings were made to look worse because of how tough it is out there. It's firm, it's fast, the fairways are hard to hit. I just maybe didn't hit the shot sometimes. I just feel I could have been rewarded
a little bit more, that's about it."

Fortinet Championship 2021 R2